Door for glass tanks



May 30, 1933.

J. H. RITTER DOOR FOR GLASS TANKS Filed Oct. 7, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l 2%,, K4 INVE'NTOR l AI flan/ 1 417964 WITNESSES May 30, 1933'. J, H, ITTE 1,911,394

DOOR FOR GLASS TANKS Filed 001:. 7, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 2 (643% i wow/$70 610 WITNESSES 13 m .ZK. 344.6

Patented May 30, 1933 PATENT o1=1=1cs 5 JOHN H. BITTER, OF CHARLEROI, PENNSYLVANT A.

DOOR FOR GLASS TANKS Application filed October 7, 1931. Serial No. 567,369.

This invention relates to doors for furnaces, and more particularly to refractory doors for glass tanks, and ithas to do especially with means for minimizing damage to 5 such doors when in use. p 7

Due to thevery high temperatures required for the manufacture of glass and other materials made or treated in flame-fired furnaces, refractory doors are used for the tanks or 10 furnaces. A simple form of such door is constructed by binding refractory blocks together with metal bands, leaving the refractory largely exposed, so that the door is subj ect to breakage by mechanical shock, for instance when slammed shut. Also, these doors are exposed to the flames in the furnace, which play against them and tend to burn away their peripheral regions extending into the furnace, causing the refractory to break away.

The chief objects of this invention are to provide means for preventing damage to refractory furnace doors, which prevent the door from coming in contact with the Walls of the port when closed, and keep the flames from striking the peripheral region of the door within the port.

In accordance with this invention the foregoing objects are attained by supporting the doors out of contact with the Walls of the ports when closed, and by providing means for blowing flames away from the peripheral regions of the doors. Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment of my invention the door is so supported as to permit it to be swung entirely away from the port when open, and is provided with means for diminishing shock when the door is slammed shut.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front view of a glass tank showing its door; Fig. 2 a sectional view thereof taken on the line II1I of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a top plan view of the door shown in Fig. 1,

. and Fig. 4: an enlarged fragmentary View showing the association of port wall, air pipe and door.

Referring to the drawings, door supports 1 and 2 secured to a glass tank or furnace 3 at one side of a port 4 extending through the wall thereof carry spaced plates 5 Which project horizontally therefrom. Pivotally connected to each plate by means of rod 6 is a horizontally disposed arm 7.

A door 8 constructed in the customary manner from refractory blocks bound together by metal bands 9, threaded rodsll and nuts 12, is pivotally supported by arms 7. The pivotal connections between the door and arms comprise pins 13 projecting from the middle of bands 9 atthe top and bottom of the door and extending through slots '14: in arms 7. The door is adjustably held in proper vertical position between the arms by washers15 and retaining nuts 16, and in horizontal position by adjustable bolts 17 Due to this pivotal mounting of the door between arms 7 which in turn are pivotally mounted, it can be seen that the'door can be swung outwardly and entirely away from the port, leaving the latter completely unob-. structed, and reducing the likelihood of damage to the door in operating in the'port.

The door is held in closed position in the following manner. Spaced lugs 18 are at tached to support 1 and a like support19 at the opposite side of the port. These lugs have outwardly projecting portions 2 with inclined or arcuate upper faces 22. Extending laterally from the doorv are rod-like lugs 23 adapted to cooperate with lugs 18 in maintaining the door in closed position by sliding up the inclined faces of portions 21 and coming to rest in frictional engagement therewith. The principal reason for having faces 22 inclined is to prevent slamming of the door with the resulting shock and likelihood of breaking it, the forward movement of the door being retarded by lugs 23 having to slide up faces 22 of lugs 18. A ring 24:, at tached to band 25 which encircles the door and strengthens it, is used to pull the door open. The cooperating lugs are so positioned on the supports and door that when the door is closed it efiects substantial closure of the port but does not quite touch the wall of the tank, as shown in Figs. 2-and 3, leaving a space 26 therebetween.

' The construction described minimizes the danger of chipping and breaking the door by shock or contact with the port. These-doors are also subject to the deteriorating actionof the flames, which play upon them and rapidly cause destruction of the doors in their peripheralregions,thus decreasingtheireflicacy. An important feature of the invention resides in the provision of means for overcoming such destructive action, and in accordance with the invention this is accomplished by applying an air draft to hold the flames back from contact with the door in its peripheral regions.- This may be, and preferably is, accomplished by attaching a perforated pipe 27 to the wall of the port within space 26. The pipe is connected to a suitable supply of air under pressure, as by conduit 28, and to prevent, damage to the door it is so disposed as to be out of contact with the door. This may be accomplished suitably by flattening the pipe, as by shaping it generally to the section of space 26, as shown in the drawings; Air passed through the pipe creates a gentle draft which fans the flames away from the peripheral regions of the door, and to this end perforations 29 most suitably face inwardly of the port. This greatly reduces flame destruction of the door and increases its life substantially as compared with prior constructions. According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle and mode of operation of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than is specifically illustrated and described.

I claim: I

1. The combination with a flame-fired furnace, a. port through a wall of said furnace,and arefractory door extending into and closing said port, of a pipe disposed within said port and encircling said door out of contact therewith, said pipe being provided with a plurality of perforations opening toward the interior of the furnace, and a source of air under pressure connected to said pipe, air from said pipe flowing interiorly of the door into the furnace and preventing furnace flames from striking the peripheral regions of the door.

2. In combination, a flame-fired furnace, a port through a wall of said furnace, a refractory door extending into and closing said port, means supporting said door out of contact with the walls of the portand adapted to swing it entirely away from the port, means for lessening shock upon closing of said door, a pipe disposed within said port encircling said door out of contact therewith, said pipe being provided with a plurality of perforations opening toward the interior of the furnace, and a source of air under pressure connected to said pipe,air from the pipe flowing interiorly of the door into the furnace and preventing furnace flames from striking the peripheral regions of the door.

3. In combination, a flame-fired furnace, a port through a wall of said furnace, a refractory door extending into and closing said port, arms supporting said door out of contact with the walls of the port and adapted to swing it entirely away from the port, a framework carrying said arms, cooperating lugs connected to said door and framework for lessening shock upon closing of said door, 

